Month: April 2014

Well friends, my camera course is over and I’m happy to report it was all I hoped for. I still have a loooong way to go but I feel more comfortable with my camera and can even shoot on manual now. Baby steps folks!

To keep myself motivated and practicing, I’ve come up with a photo-a-day list for May. I really hope you’ll play along with whatever camera you have and use. Phones count too. You may have heard the line ‘the camera you have with you is the best camera you have’. I’m all about making do with what you’ve got!

Without further ado:Use the list as a suggestion for daily theme photos, or shoot whatever inspires you each day. I’m a planner, maybe you are too, so I’m giving us a week to get organized. I’m hoping that with daily practice you and I will have some fun noticing the world around us and capturing shots of it. Let’s get snap happy in May!

I’ve read that planting seeds is a sign of optimism. It’s pretty cool watching a little thing grow into a living, flowering or fruit-producing plant so I’m in. My garden space and amount of sunshine it gets is minimal so I’m sticking to few herbs and sweet peas. It’s still a bit chilly here so I whipped up some seed pots and started these inside. I’m not at all a fan of recycling crafts (I actually refused to do them when I taught kids craft camps), but I’m making an exception here. Yes, these are made from toilet roll tubes – totally biodegradable and plantable right into your garden. Start saving yours now or ask your neighbours to help you out, then make yourself a bunch.You need one empty toilet roll per seed starter. Here’s how:
Cut 4 slits about an inch and a half up one side.
Fold one side in to the centre and give it a little pinch to make a crease. This will help the fold to hold. Fold in the opposite side, then the two remaining sides. Voila! A tiny pot, perfect for one or two seeds.
If you find these a bit tall, simply cut an inch off the bottom of the entire tube then start the instructions from the beginning. Although they seem tippy, they flatten out once the weight of some soil goes inside. Add your soil, seeds and give them a misting!I’ve got mine sitting in a plastic tray that my ground turkey came in, washed out of course. You could also use an empty milk carton or line a little box with plastic wrap…maybe a tissue box. Someone stop me…the recycling bug has bitten.Once your seeds have sprouted and your wee plants are ready to go into the ground, plant the whole tube to keep the young roots intact. It’ll break down over time. Easy, peasy! Feel free to show your optimism with a little planting of your own!

The days are definitely getting longer and brighter! It’s slowly warming up and my beloved sun is visiting more regularly. I love Spring and all the great colors and smells that come with it.I’ve made a little bucket list of things I’d like to do to celebrate this season. Here it is:

hang lights on the front patio

start and finish the 21 Day Fix program

plant seeds and grow an herb garden

swim once a week

have a thrift shopping day

make a ‘scrappy’ bunting and wreath for the front patio

send out some random happy mail

make marshmallows from scratch

keep running twice a week and run a 5 km race

do a ‘paint your own ceramics’ session with Sydney

go on a photo-taking day trip

Why make these seasonal bucket lists, you ask? I find that time goes by so fast and there’s gotta be more to life than just going to work. I make these to keep me on track with things I want to do and places I want to go and as a reminder to have fun and live more in the moment. Plus they’re a great excuse to be still and color! What about you? What’s on your list for Spring? Whatever you’re up to, I hope you enjoy it and all this season has to offer!